deadliestwarriorfandomcom-20200222-history
User blog:Pikazilla/Viking and Highlander Review
The kryptonite of the English is a big hairy northerner wielding a giant weapon and shouting like a madman. I initially was going to ignore the Vikings, I considered them to be simply a chainmail Knight. So I paired them with the Highlanders primarily because of their similarities. Both warriors rely on their heavy weapons to rush their opponents, especially in hit-and-runs and raids. This shock tactic works well since these warriors use unconventional terrain to their advantages; Vikings attack from the sea and the Highlanders attack from… the highlands. OOOOOOOOOH like their name, I GET IT! They might not be the fastest warriors, but they can still charge in effectively with such advantages. These heavy weapons can quickly overwhelm light armor, and is so overkill against an unarmored opponent that Deadliest Warrior described a Viking Axe injury as ‘literally getting hit by a train’. These are overkill weapons, delicious delicious overkill. The armor for these combatants is standard for the period; chainmail with a shield. I will note that both warriors have used spikes on their shield; it is indeed an offensive bonus, although not mandatory. A shield-charge might not do much against a breastplate and trying to shield-bash with the spike is a bit awkward. Also it’s possible for that spike to get tangled inside a target or stuck in something, which is what happened in Deadliest Warrior. I think it would be best to just use the shield as a ‘smashingboard’, since it allows you to keep your distance by pushing your foe back (regardless of their armor) and blunt force is more relevant against heavy armor. Just don’t throw the shield: shield throwing never happened historically, especially not in American history (Captain Steve Rogers…). Also as a side note: while wooden shields aren’t the best, they are reasonable for the time period and probably easier to mass produce than the metal shields. I don’t want to talk about the Viking Berserker much, other than he’s the OP class for noobs of the game Pirates, Vikings and Knights II. While drug-induced pain-resistance sounds nice; I think it was primarily only used for psychological terror. The fact remains that insanity doesn’t mean invincibility, which is why you don’t play Junkrat if you’re facing snipers (even Joker lost to Deadshot, but I’m getting sidetracked…). Also Vikings having horned helmets never happened and made no sense. Horned helmets were most likely for religious purposes, and were most likely Celtic instead. http://www.cgpgrey.com/blog/5-historical-misconceptions-rundown.html Weaknesses Heavy weapons are able to still do blunt force damage when facing almost any armor, even potentially flinching a Samurai wearing an iron Kabuto. But… that also confirms the limitations of the Viking Axe (and most likely the Claymore as well). Leather would be sliced through easily, and chainmail and bronze can’t absorb blunt force as well: but iron and steel is just enough to tank a hit or two. The power of these weapons is also countered by their lack of versatility. Throwing Spears and Hammer Throwing have poor range and precision due to their heavy weight, the Claymore is a slow and predictable sword, the Warhammer is relatively short ranged and a heavy axe is not designed to block or parry. The show Deadliest Warrior demonstrated how a similar ‘heavy’ weapon, the Bardiche, easily bounces off of steel plate and quickly tires out the user. Heavy weapons can be useful and intimidating, but the flaws can be quite severe. And unfortunately, the biggest weakness is defenses. Chainmail is a fair armor; it is great against slashes, but is poor against blunt force and almost useless against penetration. I would consider a Viking or Highlander to be almost a Glass Cannon, especially for those individuals not bringing a shield into battle in favor of the 2-handed weapons. This lack of defenses is also worsen by these warriors having limits in their long-range capabilities. Arrows are capable of piercing chainmail, and shields alone don’t block all arrows: they normally need to be paired up with armor or other shield warriors assisting (as seen with Hoplites, Legionaries and Knights). Ironically; the English Knight might be the best warrior to fight these enemies of the English. English Longbowmen were some of the best archers in all of Europe; combine that with heavy armor and the Viking or Highlander would need to charge into arrow fire, then engage in an enemy that is tanky enough to survive their heavy weapons while still lethal enough to get through Chainmail. An armored Mongolian might also work well for the same reasons. Another good option is the Spartan Hoplite; his spear and shield combo allows him to also have a range and defense advantage, and doesn’t need to worry about these guys exploiting the Hoplite’s poor range. Finally a Roman Legionnaire can disable their shield with a Pilum, which unlike the Viking Spear, is designed to stick into steal armor: then he can use his intact Scutum shield to block the heavy weapon and strike with a Gladius stab. Category:Blog posts